Final answer:
The mass of the iron oxide produced is equal to the sum of the masses of iron and oxygen that reacted, reflecting the law of conservation of mass.
Step-by-step explanation:
During a chemical reaction where iron combines with oxygen to form iron oxide, the mass of the iron oxide produced is equal to the mass of the iron plus the mass of the oxygen that reacted.
This is in accordance with the law of conservation of mass, which states that in a closed system, mass is neither created nor destroyed in a chemical reaction.
Therefore, the mass of the reactants will always be equal to the mass of the products, ensuring that the mass of the iron oxide is the sum of the masses of the iron and oxygen initially.
In physics and chemistry, the law of conservation of mass or principle of mass conservation states that for any system closed to all transfers of matter and energy, the mass of the system must remain constant over time, as the system's mass cannot change, so the quantity can neither be added nor be removed.
Therefore, the quantity of mass is conserved over time.